Saturday, May 16, 2009

Help?

Okay, my fluff friends. I need some help from the Elimination Communication crowd.

My daughter has decided that she is done with pooping in diapers.

We are now 6 for 6 on pooping in the bath, and tonight when she got out of the tub, in the FIVE MINUTES of naked playtime I was letting her have, she squatted down and pooped on the floor.

I've tried helping her to "squat" on the toilet seat by supporting her under her arms with her feet on the seat, but she kind of freaks out.

I'd like to take this opportunity by the horns, but I just don't know that much about EC. I've known since she was just a few months old that she would be physically capable and mentally inclined to potty train young, but I just don't know what I'm doing here. I've potty trained a toddler, but this is kind of foreign territory to me.

Any helpful tips?

7 comments:

the monkeys' mama said...

wow! that is how we started with C but she was only 5 months old so...hmmm...a bit trickier when they have a stronger mind of their own, i'd imagine!

After the third night of her pooping in the tub, we started putting her on the "big people" toilet before the bath. She is now a lot heavier so we put her on the Baby Bjorn Little Potty, give her a toy, and wait for stuff to come out :)

My twin just bought a toilet for her 14-month old--a froggy one (not sure who makes it?) and she loves it and goes on it. I think, as long as you have a distracting toy for your daughter to play with while she sits on the toilet, you should be fine.

Also, i'm sure she understands the word "poop" or "poopy" so maybe, everytime she does that, you can say "poop" just so she can associate it with what she is doing?

Good luck!

Tully Family said...

Okay- you can feel free to tell me to go get my own help! LOL Anyway, I have a 3-year old who refuses to go poo on the potty. We have never had this problem before (this is child #4) & I am at loss what to do! Tips? Sympany?

Book a Day said...

We are an EC family. We started at 1 month of age. :) She pooped about 100 times (no joke) during her 6th month (still BFed), and over 90 of them were into the adult potty. Flush and go. Usually nothing on the tp either except one small dab. :)

I HIGHLY recommend (pressure) all my friends to do EC for poops!

We had better success with pees when she was an infant. Toddlers have minds of their own! :) At 19 months, she started holding her pee for 2 hours. We use fitted diapers without a cover or no diapers. We just got the potty stool (129 bucks!) from amazon.com.

I'll let you know if that proves to be our "magic" for helping her to "finish" pee training.

My daughter is NOT a fan of kid potties, but she will use them when we are out. We keep it in the trunk.

I think it's harder to poop on a kid potty b/c you can't spread your bum and legs out as easily as you can on a big toilet. :) Plus, I think kids like to seem like an adult. The big potty has appeal for me too as we can just flush and go!

Anywho, the book Diaper Free Baby is AWESOME! Very good for part time ECers too. (or late starters)

We have a Xpress Trainer Pro-All In One-Real Simple Potty Training Round/Standard Family Toilet Seat (amazon) and LOVE IT. :) Check it out!

The Cloth Diaperin' Mama said...

Thank you, Book a Day! I'll check out the book your recommended.

Tully Family:

I am not so not a potty training expert. I have "potty trained" one child, but our experience was so singular that I feel like it's almost not fair to other parents for me to talk about it. (Don't worry, I know I'll get mine one of these days with one of our babies.)

BUT...

I have read/heard a few things about older toddlers who refuse - but are capable - to go on the potty. If I had a 3 year-old who I *KNEW* beyond the shadow of a doubt COULD go on the potty, but just didn't want to, I'd probably try one (or 2, or all), of these.

First, I don't agree with everything they have to say about theology, but the Pearls had a funny suggestion about how to handle a toddler who insists on wearing and pooping in a diaper: after they go, take them out in the yard and hose them off with a garden hose, rather than cleaning them up the way that they're used to. It's part embarrassing, part uncomfortable. I wouldn't do this to my own child in the front yard, but I probably would in the back yard.

Second, you could require them to clean themselves and their own poopy diapers up. This I probably wouldn't do, just because kids don't understand how gross and unsafe poop really is.

Third, you could just make diapering as uncomfortable as possible for him. Get some super-duper bulky toddler-sized prefolds and covers, or stuff some of your one-size pockets with truly excessive stuffins, like a toddler prefolds AND a microfiber towel. This honestly would probably be my first line of defense, and then I'd go from there.

Good luck!

Natalie said...

Hey girl:) Try sitting her in between your legs while you sit on the big potty. This works for my three hope it works!

Jessi Roman said...

naomi has pooped in the tub more than a few times too... i've got no advice for you, but i just wanted to offer some encouragement. there aren't too many adults walking around in diapers, so eventually, this time will pass, and she'll be pottying like a big girl. just remember this is a temporary situation, and try not to get frustrated with her. <3 (i may be talking to myself more than i am to you here... naomi is having a hard time potty training)

Anonymous said...

Mine is 8 months and I hold her with her back against me, my hands supporting her thighs, facing the back of the toilet. She's hanging in midair, practically, and her legs squish her stomach. She almost can't help pooping if its been awhile. I don't know how big your baby is but this certainly works, if you can hold them.